Artuke 2025

Artuke 2025 comes from Bodegas y Viñedos Artuke, the family project of brothers Arturo and Kike de Miguel in the Rioja Alavesa village of Baños de Ebro. The vines sit on the chalky clay-limestone soils typical of the Alavesa, which hold water through the dry summer and keep the fruit fresh; the cooler, higher sites here give wines with bright acidity and red rather than black fruit. The wine is made by carbonic maceration, where whole bunches ferment intracellularly inside intact berries before pressing. This intracellular fermentation extracts colour and aromatic compounds with very little tannin, which is why young Rioja made this way is so soft and so openly fruity. There is no oak, so the grape and the place speak directly. In the glass it is bright cherry red. The nose is vibrant and floral, with sour cherry, redcurrant and a note of wild heather. The palate is light bodied and juicy, with crisp acidity, gentle tannin and a clean savoury finish. Serve lightly chilled at around 14C; it works straight from a tumbler at the table.